State Dox: UK Bill Would Force Tech Companies to Verify Identities of Users

The UK is introducing draft legislation that would require tech platforms like Facebook and Google to verify the identities of their users.

Engadget reports that the UK government is introducing a new bill requiring tech giants to verify the identities of users on their platform. The move is part of the government’s recently announced Online Safety Bill that is designed to help users avoid anonymous trolls on the internet.

UK Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Nadine Dorries said in a statement: “Tech firms have a responsibility to stop anonymous trolls polluting their platforms. People will now have more control over who can contact them and be able to stop the tidal wave of hate served up to them by rogue algorithms.”

The tech giants would need to develop a system allowing them to verify IDs when a user creates a new account. The UK government suggested facial recognition via profile pictures, a two-factor authentication system, and a government-issued ID verification. Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, will be overseeing the rules that the tech companies will have to follow. Ending anonymity could have a chilling effect on speech for people that choose to remain anonymous, especially in the era of out of control cancel culture.

The UK government has proposed measures that would force the tech firms to remove “legal but harmful” material. Tech firms that violate rules set out by UK regulators could face fines of up to 10 percent of their global annual revenues, which could be billions of dollars for companies like Google and Facebook.

A Twitter spokesperson commented to CNBC: “We are reviewing the details of the new proposed duties. Our focus remains on a safe internet for all — whether or not someone is able to or chooses to verify themselves.” The spokesperson added that Twitter sees anonymity as “a vital tool for speaking out in oppressive regimes.”

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